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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wake — a trail
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cabinet — ministers

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