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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spring — of water
  9. club — for golf
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spring — the season
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. ball — a dance
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spring — a coil

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