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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spell — letters
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. key — the most important part
  12. game — a match
  13. stem — to come from
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. key — in music
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ball — a dance
  18. key — for a lock
  19. spell — magic
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. game — wild animals

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