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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: scale · track · rush · stem · mug · mark · chest · drill

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chest — of your body
  3. drill — the tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. track — a song
  6. chest — of your body
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chest — a box
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stem — to come from
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — a face
  19. rush — hurry
  20. scale — in music
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mark — a grade
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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