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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: stem · firm · leaves · track · chest · foot · squash · tear

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. firm — steady
  4. track — a path
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chest — of your body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chest — a box
  9. foot — a measure
  10. firm — a company
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. track — a song
  14. tear — to rip
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. firm — decided
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stem — to come from
  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