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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lean — to bend
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bass — low music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. row — a line
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mine — for digging
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bass — the fish
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lean — thin

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