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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. spring — the season
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. spring — a coil
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pound — a weight
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spring — of water
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. degree — from a university
  24. nail — for a hammer

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