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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. craft — boats
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. clip — for paper
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to click
  14. clip — a video
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. clip — to cut
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stem — to come from
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — the animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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