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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — a cup
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mug — a face
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. track — a song
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stem — to come from
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. track — a path
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a line
  22. shower — rain
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stem — of a plant

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