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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mug — a cup
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pit — in a race
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. mug — to rob
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mug — a face
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. kid — child
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. stem — a stem cell

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