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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. bass — low music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stem — to come from
  24. last — finally

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