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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. present — a gift
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — in cards
  7. board — to get on
  8. present — the time now
  9. hand — help
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. foot — a measure
  15. net — after costs
  16. rash — a series
  17. board — a committee
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. present — there
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — in sport
  23. stem — to come from
  24. foot — part of the body

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