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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rock — a stone
  14. shower — rain
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rash — a series
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. tube — a container
  22. cap — a hat
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tube — in a tire

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