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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — for light
  11. game — a match
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hand — help
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stem — to come from

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