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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wound — an injury

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