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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — a path
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — a series
  9. clip — a video
  10. file — a document
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. file — a tool
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. track — a song
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. foot — a measure
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rash — hasty
  22. track — to keep track
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stem — to come from

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