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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pit — a hole
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bat — in an idiom

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