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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 116 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: key · track · cap · bass · stem · racket · wound · cell

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cap — a hat
  3. key — in music
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cell — in biology
  7. track — a song
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. key — for a lock
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bass — low music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. track — a path
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cell — a phone
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bass — the instrument

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