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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. track — a song
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. land — ground
  6. track — a path
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — to come down
  14. rock — music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. track — to keep track
  17. scale — in music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a great time
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ball — a dance
  23. land — a country
  24. hand — help

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