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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. staff — a stick
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. staff — employees
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mate — to breed
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — a series
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mate — a partner

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