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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stem — to come from
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lean — thin

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