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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. track — to keep track
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a song
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. craft — a skill
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. craft — boats
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. branch — a division
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. wave — with your hand

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