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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. object — an aim
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rule — a law
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. object — a thing
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rash — a series
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — the season
  18. branch — a division
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. object — to protest
  22. rule — government
  23. spring — of water
  24. rash — hasty

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