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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. last — finally
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. track — a song
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. season — in sport
  10. last — final
  11. bank — of a river
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — to come from
  14. season — of the year
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bank — for money
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bank — for money
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. last — to go on
  23. track — a path
  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