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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cue — a signal
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. plane — a tool
  8. band — a music group
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bound — obliged
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — certain
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — to come from
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cue — for pool
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spring — the season
  22. cue — a hint
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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