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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stem — to come from
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. deal — to handle
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. deal — a big deal

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