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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — final
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. track — a song
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bound — tied together
  12. spring — the season
  13. rash — a series
  14. last — to go on
  15. spring — a coil
  16. last — finally
  17. track — a path
  18. bound — obliged
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bound — certain
  21. object — a thing
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — of water
  24. track — to keep track

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