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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chair — a leader
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rest — a break
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. clip — a video
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — a series

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