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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bound — certain
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stem — to come from
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pound — a weight
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pound — for dogs

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