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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  3. object — to protest
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. toast — bread
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stem — to come from
  14. row — a line
  15. object — a thing
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. object — an aim
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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