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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spring — of water
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stock — shares
  6. band — a ring
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. suit — in cards
  12. stock — goods
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. suit — clothes
  17. spring — the season
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. suit — to fit
  20. band — a music group
  21. hand — help
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stem — a stem cell

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