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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 · rash · bay · sharp · pop · lie · cold · deal

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pop — soda
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. lie — to recline
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pop — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pop — to visit
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rash — a series
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. deal — to handle

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