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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. track — a song
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. current — of water
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. track — a path
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spring — of water
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. branch — a division
  12. current — electric
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spring — a coil
  16. perch — the fish
  17. current — happening now
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pass — a permit
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. ground — crushed
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — the season

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