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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 116 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: lean · stem · saw · last · cabinet · ball · mate · bat

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lean — thin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mate — a friend
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. last — finally
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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