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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — a song
  6. capital — money
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chip — to eat
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stem — to come from
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tear — from crying
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chip — for betting
  24. tear — from crying

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