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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · bear · ball · stem · bat · snap · track · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. track — a path
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bear — the animal
  19. track — a song
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — to keep track

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