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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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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. net — in sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. net — for catching
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. net — after costs
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kid — child
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chest — a box
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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