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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pit — a hole
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. board — to get on
  10. kid — child
  11. mate — a partner
  12. board — a committee
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pit — in a race
  15. kid — to tease
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wind — moving air

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