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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fall — the season
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mark — a grade
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fork — in a road

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