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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — of the year
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. season — in sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — a face
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mug — a cup
  23. spring — the season
  24. mug — to rob

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