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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bank — for money
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cold — not warm
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bank — for money
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. row — a line
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bulb — for light

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