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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.

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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: chair · track · rash · stem · mark · bear · season · dip

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. season — of the year
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. season — in sport
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stem — to come from
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mark — a grade
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rash — a series
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — a song
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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