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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rule — a law
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rule — government
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fork — to eat with

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