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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. key — in music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — a path
  7. spring — of water
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. key — the most important part
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spring — a coil
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. key — for a lock
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. kick — in football
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. temple — a place of worship

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