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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. staff — employees
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lean — thin
  5. firm — a company
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. firm — decided
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. staff — employees
  13. stem — to come from
  14. firm — steady
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lean — to bend
  23. track — a song
  24. stem — of a plant

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