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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. row — a line
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bore — to tire
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. field — a subject
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. sharp — with an edge

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