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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — a thing
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stand — to bear
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bound — certain
  8. object — an aim
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. object — to protest
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mine — an explosive

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