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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. board — to get on
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bore — to drill
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. board — a committee
  9. rush — hurry
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. degree — from a university
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bore — to tire
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. degree — an amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — gave birth

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