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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. game — a match
  4. deal — to handle
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rest — what's left
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — the season
  16. rest — a break
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chest — of your body
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spring — of water
  22. lean — thin
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rest — what's left

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