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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. face — to confront
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. track — a path
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rush — hurry
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bark — to shout
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. shower — to wash
  22. face — to point toward
  23. prune — to trim
  24. shower — rain

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