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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chest — a box
  7. rock — music
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. stem — to come from
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rash — a series
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mine — belonging to me

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