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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. last — final
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. track — to keep track
  6. season — in sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. craft — a skill
  10. dip — to sink
  11. craft — boats
  12. track — a song
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pound — a weight
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. pound — to hit hard

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