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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pass — a permit
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rock — music
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mine — for digging

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