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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. spring — a coil
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fine — all right
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tube — a container
  14. spring — of water
  15. kick — in football
  16. spring — the season
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fine — high quality
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fine — a penalty

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