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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rock — a stone
  4. land — to come down
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mate — to breed
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. land — ground
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fall — the season
  19. plane — a tool
  20. land — a country
  21. rock — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hide — to keep secret

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