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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. spring — the season
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. roll — a cake
  12. spring — of water
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — to come from
  15. roll — a list
  16. staff — employees
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mug — a cup
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mug — a face
  24. stem — a stem cell

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