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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. track — a song
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — a path
  12. spring — the season
  13. club — a group
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rock — a stone
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — for golf
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rock — music

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