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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fine — high quality
  3. suit — in cards
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. key — in music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. suit — clothes
  14. tear — to rip
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a ring
  19. suit — to fit
  20. fine — all right
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. key — for a lock
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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