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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. track — a path
  3. drill — army training
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bank — of a river
  7. present — a gift
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — a practice
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. track — a song
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — the tool
  18. present — the time now
  19. pop — to visit
  20. track — to keep track
  21. present — there
  22. rash — hasty
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com