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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — help
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. track — a song
  11. bear — the animal
  12. track — a path
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bear — to put up with

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