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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. track — to keep track
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. capital — a city
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — a song
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. capital — money
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. track — a path
  24. rock — music

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