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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. file — a document
  14. mark — a trace
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mark — a grade
  19. track — to keep track
  20. file — a line of people
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — a song
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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