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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mine — for digging
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — of a plant
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wake — before a funeral

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