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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lean — thin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stem — to come from
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — a permit
  12. lie — to recline
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spring — of water
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spring — the season

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