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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stem — to come from
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mug — a face
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — a series
  19. lean — thin
  20. mug — a cup
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — in sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mug — to rob

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