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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: bulb · bat · hide · cabinet · ground · row · lean · stem

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lean — thin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. row — a line
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ground — a position
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cabinet — ministers

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