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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. squash — to crush
  7. track — a song
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fall — the season
  15. squash — the sport
  16. toast — bread
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mine — for digging

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