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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — all right
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mug — a face
  12. bulb — for light
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — part of the body

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