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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 120 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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a song
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cue — a signal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. net — after costs
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. net — in sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spring — the season
  17. chest — a box
  18. spring — a coil
  19. track — a path
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — to come from
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. net — for catching

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