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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rest — a break
  7. ground — a position
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stand — to bear
  12. deal — to handle
  13. squash — the sport
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ground — the earth
  24. squash — the vegetable

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