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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fall — the season
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — a series
  23. date — the fruit
  24. key — for a lock

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