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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. content — the amount
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cold — an illness
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — happy
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lie — to recline
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — rain
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. content — videos and posts

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