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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chest — a box
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stem — to come from
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. current — happening now
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pit — in a race
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. current — electric
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. track — a song
  21. current — of water
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bark — of a tree

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