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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mark — a grade
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stem — to come from
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. land — a country
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fall — the season
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. land — ground
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. last — final
  22. land — to come down
  23. fall — to drop
  24. jam — in traffic

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