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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. track — to keep track
  3. current — of water
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. track — a path
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. track — a song
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pit — a hole
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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