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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spell — a short time
  6. track — to keep track
  7. face — to confront
  8. pop — music
  9. track — a path
  10. spring — the season
  11. object — a thing
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spell — letters
  14. face — part of the head
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spell — magic
  17. pop — to visit
  18. track — a song
  19. object — an aim
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spring — of water
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pop — soda

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