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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hand — help
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — to come from
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cue — for pool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cue — a signal

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