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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. spring — the season
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rule — government
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. content — the amount
  9. spring — a coil
  10. can — a tin
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. degree — from a university
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rule — a law
  17. degree — temperature
  18. content — happy
  19. plane — a tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. degree — an amount
  22. snap — to click
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. content — videos and posts

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