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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bark — to shout
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pop — soda
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — a path
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — a group
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — music
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. club — for golf
  15. track — a song
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mate — a friend
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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