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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. row — a line
  24. kid — child

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