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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 120 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. swing — music
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. foot — a measure
  11. can — a tin
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a music group
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. track — a song
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lie — to recline

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