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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. track — a path
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spring — the season
  7. pop — music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. track — to keep track
  10. spring — of water
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lie — to recline
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pound — a weight
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pop — soda
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. track — a song

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