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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — in sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bound — obliged
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bound — tied together
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. season — of the year
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — certain
  24. racket — for tennis

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