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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. current — of water
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stem — to come from
  6. date — the fruit
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pop — music
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — soda
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. spring — the season
  19. current — electric
  20. spring — a coil
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pop — to visit
  24. current — happening now

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