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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. band — a ring
  3. kid — to tease
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mug — to rob
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mug — a cup
  10. band — a music group
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cold — an illness
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cold — not warm
  21. kid — child
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mug — a face
  24. foot — a measure

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