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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. board — to get on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spring — the season
  9. lean — to bend
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lean — thin
  15. board — a committee
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. spring — of water

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