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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chair — a leader
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. content — the amount
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rock — music
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rock — a stone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lean — to bend
  18. saw — the tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stem — to come from
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lean — thin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — happy

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