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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 ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — in sport
  6. chest — a box
  7. season — of the year
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitch — completely
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stem — to come from
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rock — a stone

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