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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. track — a song
  7. press — to push
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ground — a position
  11. band — a music group
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stem — to come from
  15. press — newspapers
  16. band — a ring
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fall — to drop
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. fall — the season
  24. press — a publisher

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