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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. track — a song
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pound — a weight
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. track — a path
  17. mine — for digging
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stem — to come from

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