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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spring — of water
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spring — the season
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bound — obliged
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lean — to bend
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stem — to come from

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