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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. band — a ring
  3. track — a path
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. track — to keep track
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. row — a line
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mate — to breed
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a music group
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bark — to shout
  23. row — to paddle
  24. board — a committee

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