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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. capital — a city
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spring — a coil
  9. capital — money
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cue — a hint
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cue — a signal

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