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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. suit — in cards
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stem — to come from
  11. suit — to fit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. suit — clothes
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. foot — a measure
  18. saw — the tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spring — of water
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a document
  24. squash — to crush

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