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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. content — happy
  7. pass — a permit
  8. drill — the tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. degree — from a university
  17. drill — army training
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fork — in a road

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