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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cap — a lid
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. deal — to handle
  9. lean — to bend
  10. foot — a measure
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. trunk — of a tree

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