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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. row — a line
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mine — for digging
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rock — a stone
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rock — music
  24. mine — an explosive

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