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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. wake — a trail
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. plane — a tool
  10. track — to keep track
  11. clip — to cut
  12. last — finally
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. last — final
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. track — a song
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. clip — a video
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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