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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rule — government
  6. lean — thin
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cold — not warm
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stem — to come from

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