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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chest — a box
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lean — thin
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. net — after costs
  13. chest — of your body
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. drill — army training
  17. net — for catching
  18. tube — a container
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. net — in sport
  24. squash — the sport

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