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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. spring — of water
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stem — to come from
  16. spring — a coil
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. spring — the season
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kick — a thrill

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