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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spring — the season
  9. content — the amount
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. face — to confront
  12. roll — a cake
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. chip — to eat
  21. content — happy
  22. chip — for betting
  23. roll — a list
  24. stem — to come from

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