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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lean — thin
  4. rule — a law
  5. scale — size or range
  6. tube — the underground
  7. roll — a list
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tube — a container
  10. stem — to come from
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rule — government
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lean — to bend
  20. scale — in music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. scale — for weighing

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