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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spring — the season
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pop — to visit
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stock — goods
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. calf — a young animal

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