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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. suit — clothes
  3. spring — of water
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spring — the season
  14. wind — moving air
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. suit — to fit
  20. stem — to come from
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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