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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spring — the season
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pop — soda
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stem — to come from
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — of water
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pop — music
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hide — to keep secret

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