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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pop — soda
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. swing — in golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pop — to visit

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