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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — to drill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pop — to visit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spring — the season
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. content — the amount
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. stem — to come from
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. pop — soda
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pop — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bore — to tire

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