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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mark — a trace
  3. track — a path
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — a song
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. clip — for paper
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stem — a stem cell

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