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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. hand — in cards
  3. race — a contest
  4. spell — letters
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. track — a song
  11. press — newspapers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — help
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — a publisher
  19. race — humankind
  20. spell — magic
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — to push
  24. track — a path

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