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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bore — to drill
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. swing — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bore — to tire
  18. capital — a city
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a song
  24. leaves — lets stay

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