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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — to keep track
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — music
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pound — a weight
  23. march — the month
  24. lie — to recline

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