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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. spring — the season
  2. bear — the animal
  3. firm — a company
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. firm — decided
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. court — of a king
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — steady
  16. spring — of water
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of law
  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