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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. season — in sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. season — of the year
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. staff — employees

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