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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. spring — of water
  4. firm — a company
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. firm — steady
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lean — to bend
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bulb — for light
  14. firm — decided
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spring — the season
  18. ground — a position
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lean — thin
  21. hand — help
  22. ground — crushed
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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