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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · pop · hide · squash · file · track · spring · temple

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pop — soda
  3. track — a path
  4. file — a document
  5. squash — the sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. spring — a coil
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spring — the season
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. clip — a video
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — of water
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. clip — to cut
  23. file — a tool
  24. track — a song

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