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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: mine · roll · mark · cold · stem · fork · suit · lean

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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 — to come from
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cold — an illness
  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