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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cell — a phone
  5. track — a path
  6. cell — in biology
  7. drill — the tool
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. drill — army training
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. spell — letters
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spell — magic
  20. scale — in music
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. track — a song

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