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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mug — a cup
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rest — a break
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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