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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. rash — hasty
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. track — to keep track
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a song
  10. net — after costs
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rash — a series
  15. net — in sport
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. track — a path
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. row — a line
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. prune — to trim

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