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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · track · land · straw · date · perch · stem · row

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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 song
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. row — to paddle
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. track — a path
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. key — for a lock
  11. land — ground
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. row — a line
  15. land — a country
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. key — in music
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. land — to come down
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. key — the most important part
  23. date — the fruit
  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