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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — rain
  3. track — to keep track
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — the season
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spring — of water
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. suit — clothes
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. spring — a coil
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. stem — to come from
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. vault — a safe
  24. suit — in cards

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