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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 116 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: hide · file · wake · hand · pitcher · stem · track · snap

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. track — a song
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. file — a document
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a tool
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hand — help
  22. track — to keep track
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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