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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. track — a song
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. track — a path
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bore — to drill
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. snap — to click
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bark — to shout

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