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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. capital — money
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. present — there
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. lean — thin
  8. present — a gift
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. season — of the year
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — in sport
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lean — to bend
  24. capital — a city

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