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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bound — tied together
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bound — certain
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. present — the time now
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. present — there
  18. rash — hasty
  19. club — a group
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rash — a series
  22. club — for golf
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rash — on the 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