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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  3. stem — to come from
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. game — a match
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. row — to paddle
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chip — for betting
  17. row — a line
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chip — to eat
  21. face — to confront
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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