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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rest — a break
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bound — certain
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. hide — animal skin

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