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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: stem · rush · leaves · snap · ground · scale · lie · kid

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. kid — to tease
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. kid — child
  16. ground — a position
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rush — hurry
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. snap — to click

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