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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. season — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. track — a path
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wound — an injury
  16. season — of the year
  17. pass — a permit
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. track — a song
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bay — a horse colour

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