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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fine — all right
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. track — a path

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