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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pass — a permit
  8. track — to keep track
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — a division
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. track — a song
  24. stem — to come from

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