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

Word bank: cold · stem · bear · fork · rest · pass · foot · stick

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pass — a permit
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rest — a break
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fork — in a road
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fork — to eat with

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