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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — a practice
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — army training
  14. chest — a box
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. drill — the tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lean — thin
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. plane — in geometry

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