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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fine — high quality
  8. kid — child
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — a committee
  14. ground — the earth
  15. board — to get on
  16. mate — a friend
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fine — all right
  24. mate — to breed

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