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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. object — to protest
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — to come down
  5. object — an aim
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. object — a thing
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. land — a country
  14. squash — the sport
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — employees
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lie — to recline
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bulb — for light
  24. staff — employees

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