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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: charge · degree · track · hand · bay · mine · stem · race

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mine — for digging
  7. degree — an amount
  8. track — to keep track
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a path
  11. stem — to come from
  12. hand — help
  13. race — humankind
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. charge — in control
  20. race — a contest
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. charge — a price
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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