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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rest — a break
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. land — ground
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rest — what's left
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. land — to come down
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mine — for digging

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