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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kid — child
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bank — for money
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bank — for money
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bank — of a river
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stem — to come from
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — a thrill

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