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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. row — to paddle
  3. object — an aim
  4. row — a line
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — for digging
  8. object — a thing
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. object — to protest
  15. cold — not warm
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. drill — army training
  19. lean — to bend
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. season — of the year

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