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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pass — a permit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. charge — a price
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. charge — in control
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. row — a line
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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