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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — the season
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spring — of water
  8. object — to protest
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. object — an aim
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. squash — to crush
  18. object — a thing
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rash — hasty
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pass — to spend time

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