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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: march · stem · dip · saw · track · row · kick · perch

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. march — music
  3. track — a song
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. dip — to sink
  8. kick — in football
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. row — a line
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — the fish
  18. track — to keep track
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — to paddle

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