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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rock — music
  12. lean — thin
  13. track — a path
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fall — the season
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. land — ground
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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