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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — a series
  5. track — a song
  6. ball — a great time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ball — a dance
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — clothes
  18. track — a path
  19. suit — to fit
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a round shape

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