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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 120 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 happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — the season
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. root — of a plant
  7. spring — of water
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stem — to come from
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — a coil
  22. root — of a word
  23. pit — in a race
  24. root — the cause

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