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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tube — the underground
  5. current — of water
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chest — a box
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. current — electric
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. staff — employees
  22. tube — a container
  23. current — happening now
  24. staff — employees

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