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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. hand — help
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mark — a trace
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. land — a country
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rush — hurry
  10. land — to come down
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rock — music
  14. kid — child
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. land — ground
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stem — to come from
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stem — of a plant

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