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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. date — the fruit
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. scale — in music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. scale — size or range
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rush — hurry
  24. chest — a box

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