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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ball — a great time
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. staff — employees
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rock — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. ball — a dance
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. file — a document
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stem — to come from
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a line of people

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