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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — to tease
  5. staff — employees
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stem — to come from
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. present — there
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. present — the time now
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. staff — employees
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. kid — child

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