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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. lean — thin
  21. ball — a dance
  22. craft — boats
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a round shape

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