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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: rush · bat · file · wake · key · hand · track · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wake — a trail
  4. key — in music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. file — a document
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. track — a path
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stem — to come from
  14. track — a song
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bat — the animal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. file — a tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hand — help

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