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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. row — to paddle
  3. drill — a practice
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. row — a line
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. staff — employees
  11. drill — army training
  12. season — of the year
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. swing — to play on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — in music
  17. season — in sport
  18. swing — music
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. swing — in golf
  21. kick — in football
  22. drill — the tool
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kick — with a leg

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