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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rock — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lie — to recline
  14. staff — employees
  15. season — in sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. season — of the year
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — a stone

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