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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. track — to keep track
  5. swing — to play on
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — to shout
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — a line
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. track — a path
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. row — to paddle
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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