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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: rock · lash · bay · track · mine · season · hand · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — a song
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rock — music
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. season — in sport
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. track — a path
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rock — a stone
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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