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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spring — the season
  11. tear — to rip
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. craft — a handicraft

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