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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — rain
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. staff — employees
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stem — to come from
  13. kick — in football
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pop — to visit

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