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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 124 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rash — a series
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. content — happy
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — the amount
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chair — a leader
  24. drill — army training

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