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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. track — a path
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. track — to keep track
  5. net — after costs
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. net — in sport
  9. last — final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lean — thin
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. net — for catching
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mate — to breed
  16. last — to go on
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — finally
  19. track — a song
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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