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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pop — soda
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. swing — music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cold — not warm
  11. object — an aim
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. object — to protest
  19. stem — to come from
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lean — thin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pop — music

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