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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: track · key · stem · band · last · can · pop · row

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. key — for a lock
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stem — to come from
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. pop — to visit
  13. row — a line
  14. last — finally
  15. key — the most important part
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a ring
  18. pop — soda
  19. can — a tin
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pop — music
  22. key — in music
  23. can — to be able to
  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