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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lean — to bend
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — a line
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lean — thin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. key — in music
  24. arm — a part of something

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