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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. track — to keep track
  2. cold — not warm
  3. spring — of water
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. suit — in cards
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cold — an illness
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mug — a cup
  12. suit — clothes
  13. spring — a coil
  14. snap — to click
  15. spring — the season
  16. branch — a division
  17. mug — a face
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mug — to rob
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. track — a path
  22. suit — to fit
  23. rock — music
  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