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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 116 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 sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. season — in sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — of the year
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rest — a break
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stem — a stem cell

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