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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. wind — moving air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. track — to keep track
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. firm — decided
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. firm — steady
  24. calf — a young animal

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