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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. board — a committee
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. track — a path
  11. wake — a trail
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — the animal
  20. track — a song
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. board — to get on
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stem — of a plant

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