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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chest — a box
  8. track — a song
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — the season
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ball — a dance
  19. track — to keep track
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. track — a path
  24. spring — of water

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