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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. object — to protest
  9. ground — a position
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — the season
  12. firm — a company
  13. bulb — for light
  14. object — an aim
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rash — hasty
  17. object — a thing
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rash — a series
  20. firm — steady
  21. spring — of water
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. firm — decided

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