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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. object — an aim
  2. present — a gift
  3. object — to protest
  4. present — there
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. lean — to bend
  9. object — a thing
  10. fine — high quality
  11. branch — a division
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. present — the time now
  14. fine — all right
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lean — thin
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. foot — a measure
  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