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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rash — a series
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stem — to come from
  8. track — to keep track
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — letters
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. track — a path
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. spell — magic
  19. pound — a weight
  20. craft — boats
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. track — a song
  23. stem — of a plant
  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