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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fork — to eat with

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