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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. file — a document
  9. race — humankind
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. file — a line of people
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wake — a trail
  24. file — a tool

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