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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. season — in sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. spell — magic
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rest — a break
  10. stem — to come from
  11. spell — letters
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spell — a short time
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lean — to bend
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — a line
  22. lean — thin
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. season — of the year

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