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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. row — a line
  7. pop — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — a hat
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cap — of ice
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pop — soda
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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