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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. ball — a dance
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — help
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rest — a break

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