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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — an aim
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. object — to protest
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — to come from
  10. capital — a city
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — money
  20. object — a thing
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bulb — for light

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