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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. track — a song
  6. spring — of water
  7. bulb — for light
  8. object — an aim
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. track — to keep track
  12. object — to protest
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. object — a thing
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — the season
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tube — a container
  23. lie — to recline
  24. kick — in football

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