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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bear — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. tube — a container

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