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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. current — electric
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cold — not warm
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spring — of water
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. date — the fruit
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. current — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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