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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rule — a law
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rule — government
  18. bat — the animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pitcher — a jug

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