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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · stem · bore · wind · rest · toast

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rest — a break
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rest — what's left
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. toast — bread

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