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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — a coil
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. spring — the season
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mug — a cup
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. net — after costs
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pop — music
  24. mug — a face

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