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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rest — a break
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stem — to come from
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rush — hurry
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kid — child
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. branch — a division
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ground — the earth

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