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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rule — government
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rule — a law
  13. band — a music group
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stem — to come from
  24. band — a ring

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