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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: row · season · track · charge · kid · mug · stem · drill

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a path
  4. mug — to rob
  5. drill — a practice
  6. season — in sport
  7. track — a song
  8. row — a line
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. row — to paddle
  12. drill — the tool
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. drill — army training
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stem — to come from
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mug — a face
  22. season — of the year
  23. charge — a price
  24. stem — of a plant

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