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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 happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. last — to go on
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kid — child
  10. fine — all right
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lean — thin
  16. cold — an illness
  17. last — finally
  18. bear — the animal
  19. last — final
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lean — to bend
  24. key — in music

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