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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: lean · rest · mate · date · suit · wind · stem · tube

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. suit — in cards
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rest — a break
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mate — to breed
  18. suit — to fit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lean — thin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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