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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cell — in biology
  11. last — to go on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — finally
  14. net — in sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. net — after costs
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stem — to come from

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