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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. kid — child
  3. roll — a cake
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bore — to tire
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. stem — to come from
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. kid — to tease
  24. roll — a list

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