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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lean — thin
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bark — to shout
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. court — of law
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. snap — to click
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lean — to bend
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. game — a match
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. court — of a king
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. game — wild animals

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