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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a music group
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lean — thin
  9. band — a ring
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mine — for digging
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lean — to bend
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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