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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mug — a face
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mug — a cup
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. last — finally
  18. band — a ring
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. band — a music group
  23. last — to go on
  24. stem — of a plant

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