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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rash — a series
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. track — a song
  9. tear — from crying
  10. band — a music group
  11. chip — to eat
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stem — to come from
  15. band — a ring
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chip — for betting
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — an illness
  21. track — a path
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tear — from crying
  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