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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — steady
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rule — government
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rule — a law
  11. pound — a weight
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. firm — a company
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. last — to go on
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. last — finally
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. last — final
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. trunk — of a tree

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