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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. band — a music group
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rule — government
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — to keep track
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. rule — a law
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stem — to come from
  13. band — a ring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fine — all right
  17. track — a song
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. current — electric
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fall — the season

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