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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. track — a song
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — a path
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — ground
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. snap — to click
  22. spell — magic
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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