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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hand — help
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — to come from
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. track — a path
  24. spell — a short time

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