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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: stem · lean · foot · bowl · cabinet · snap · chest · ball

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lean — thin
  5. foot — a measure
  6. chest — a box
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lean — to bend
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stem — to come from
  12. snap — to click
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ball — a dance
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stem — of a plant

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