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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pound — a weight
  16. root — of a word
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. root — the cause
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. chip — for betting
  24. ball — a round shape

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