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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: suit · saw · stem · fan · hide · tube · lean · bat

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. suit — clothes
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — to bend
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tube — a container
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lean — thin
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stem — to come from
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. suit — to fit
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. suit — in cards
  24. stem — a stem cell

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