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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: sharp · pound · date · leaves · stem · bowl · cold · rest

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rest — a break
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rest — what's left
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. date — the fruit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pound — for dogs

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