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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: chest · row · stem · cap · key · clip · track · rash

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cap — a hat
  8. clip — a video
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chest — of your body
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. track — a path
  14. rash — hasty
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. track — a song
  22. clip — to cut
  23. row — a line
  24. rash — a series

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