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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kid — to tease
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hand — in cards
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stem — to come from
  11. kid — child
  12. hand — help
  13. cue — a hint
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cue — a signal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stem — a stem cell

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