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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: sharp · chest · rule · leaves · cell · mark · bear · track

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mark — a grade
  5. chest — of your body
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cell — in biology
  9. track — a song
  10. chest — a box
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rule — a law
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. track — a path
  23. rule — government
  24. mark — a trace

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