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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. track — a song
  3. bank — of a river
  4. spell — a short time
  5. track — a path
  6. ground — a position
  7. stock — goods
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spell — magic
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spell — letters
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stock — shares
  17. lie — to recline
  18. clip — a video
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bank — for money
  21. ground — the earth
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ground — crushed

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