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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. track — to keep track
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ball — a great time
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stem — to come from
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ball — a dance
  13. track — a path
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — final
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. last — finally
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — to go on

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