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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. snap — to click
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rash — a series
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rash — hasty
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. track — to keep track

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