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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · stem · chest · bay · date · scale · rash · track

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. ground — crushed
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ground — a position
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. scale — size or range
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. scale — in music
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chest — of your body
  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