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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — a song
  5. craft — boats
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tube — a container
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. key — for a lock
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. track — a path
  17. stem — to come from
  18. key — the most important part
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. key — in music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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