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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. band — a music group
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cold — not warm
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. band — a ring
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. track — a path
  12. stem — to come from
  13. present — the time now
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. season — in sport
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. present — a gift
  20. season — of the year
  21. rule — government
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rule — a law

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