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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. kid — child
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. court — of a king
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — music
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rock — a stone

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