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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. march — music
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bulb — for light
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. march — the month
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — the season
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. root — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. root — the cause
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — of water
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — a path
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. root — of a word
  24. bulb — of a plant

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