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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fall — the season
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spring — of water
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spring — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pound — a weight

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