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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: mark · suit · wake · clip · cell · mine · rest · track

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rest — what's left
  10. clip — to cut
  11. track — a path
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mark — a trace
  15. track — to keep track
  16. clip — a video
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rest — a break
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. track — a song

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