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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mine — for digging
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. foot — a measure

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