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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 124 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. date — the fruit
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fine — all right
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — thin
  9. stem — to come from
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. object — a thing
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wind — moving air
  19. object — to protest
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fine — high quality
  23. object — an aim
  24. date — on the calendar

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