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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 120 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bank — for money
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — of a river
  10. snap — to click
  11. track — a song
  12. club — for golf
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — a partner
  16. track — a path
  17. wound — an injury
  18. club — a group
  19. bank — for money
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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