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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · toast · racket · pass · leaves · mine · pitcher · stem

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. toast — bread
  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