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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kid — to tease
  3. land — to come down
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. land — a country
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kid — child
  17. land — ground
  18. rash — a series
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. suit — clothes
  23. wind — moving air
  24. suit — to fit

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