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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chair — a leader
  4. suit — to fit
  5. field — farmland
  6. suit — in cards
  7. field — a subject
  8. file — a document
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a tool
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pop — to visit
  21. field — for sport
  22. suit — clothes
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cabinet — ministers

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