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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cap — of ice
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cap — a lid
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. track — a song
  9. cap — a hat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bound — tied together
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. track — a path
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bound — certain
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. land — a country

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