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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — in sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. season — of the year
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. perch — the fish
  21. toast — bread
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — a coil
  24. toast — a drink to someone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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