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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. suit — clothes
  3. spring — the season
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. suit — to fit
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. capital — a city
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rest — a break
  12. spring — of water
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. band — a ring
  15. rest — what's left
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cold — an illness
  19. capital — money
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rest — what's left
  22. suit — in cards
  23. band — a music group
  24. lie — an untruth

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