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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lean — to bend
  3. kick — in football
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. content — the amount
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cold — an illness
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — a series
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. content — happy
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lean — thin

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