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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. track — a song
  11. chip — to eat
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. branch — a division
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stem — to come from
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. patient — a sick person

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