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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: hide · bear · date · stem · chair · leaves · foot · lean

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. foot — a measure
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chair — a leader
  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