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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spring — of water
  6. field — for sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. field — farmland
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stock — goods
  11. mate — a partner
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. mate — a friend
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stem — to come from
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — to breed

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