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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. track — a song
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stem — to come from
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — magic
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fall — the season
  22. track — a path
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — a short time

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