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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. object — a thing
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. object — an aim
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cell — a phone
  8. lean — thin
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. object — to protest
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. season — in sport
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lean — to rest against

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