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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stand — to bear
  4. band — a ring
  5. object — a thing
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. swing — music
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mug — a face
  14. stem — to come from
  15. band — a music group
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mug — a cup
  19. swing — in golf
  20. present — a gift
  21. snap — to click
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. object — an aim
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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