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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spring — a coil
  4. band — a music group
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. track — a song
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spring — of water
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stand — to bear
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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