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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. spring — the season
  3. bark — to shout
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stem — to come from
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spring — a coil
  12. charge — in control
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. charge — a price
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spring — of water
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — electricity

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