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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. staff — a stick
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. tear — from crying
  22. staff — employees
  23. foot — a measure
  24. staff — employees

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