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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rash — hasty
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. row — a line
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rash — a series
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mate — a partner
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rest — a break
  24. trunk — of a car

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