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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pass — a permit
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — the season
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spring — of water
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. deal — to handle
  24. trunk — of a tree

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