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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tube — a container
  11. spring — of water
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tube — the underground
  16. saw — the tool
  17. key — the most important part
  18. row — a line
  19. key — in music
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spring — the season
  24. tube — in a tire

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