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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · pound · rule · wake · stem · track

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. track — a song
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rule — a law
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rule — government
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stem — to come from
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. track — a path
  18. cell — in a prison

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