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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mark — a trace
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pass — a permit
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rock — to move gently

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