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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — ground
  3. track — a song
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. root — of a word
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — to keep track
  10. squash — to crush
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bank — of a river
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mark — a trace
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mark — a grade
  23. track — a path
  24. bank — for money

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