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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 124 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bass — low music
  4. spring — the season
  5. track — a song
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. spring — of water
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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