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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lean — to bend
  3. foot — a measure
  4. game — wild animals
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rash — a series
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stem — to come from
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. swing — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lean — thin
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. swing — in golf
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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