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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mate — a partner
  8. prune — to trim
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hand — in cards
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mate — to breed
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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