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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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chest — of your body
  10. snap — to click
  11. lean — to bend
  12. branch — a division
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cap — of ice

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