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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lean — thin
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stand — to bear
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rule — government
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rule — a law
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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