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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rule — a law
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. scale — in music
  8. snap — to click
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rule — government
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lie — to recline
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rush — hurry
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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