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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. object — to protest
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bound — tied together
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bound — obliged
  12. object — a thing
  13. last — final
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — certain
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — hurry
  19. swing — in golf
  20. last — finally
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. object — an aim
  24. swing — music

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