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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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 — a path
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bulb — for light
  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