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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. ground — a position
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stem — to come from
  7. track — a path
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bass — the fish
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. track — a song
  13. snap — to click
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — a division
  16. bass — low music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. ground — the earth
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — the instrument
  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