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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. tube — a container
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. spring — of water
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — the fish
  19. dip — to sink
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — the animal

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