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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rock — music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stem — to come from
  8. charge — electricity
  9. net — for catching
  10. charge — a price
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — in sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. charge — in control
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — a stone
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. net — after costs
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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