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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. track — a path
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a song
  12. march — the month
  13. root — of a word
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bass — the instrument
  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