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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. foot — a measure
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stem — to come from
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pop — to visit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. band — a ring
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stem — of a plant

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