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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. track — a path
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stem — to come from
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — clever
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitch — completely
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. leaves — 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