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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. chest — a box
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kick — in football
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fork — in a road

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