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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pop — music
  3. lean — thin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pop — soda
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mark — a trace
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. saw — the tool

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