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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mark — a trace

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