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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spring — a coil
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. track — to keep track
  5. swing — music
  6. spring — of water
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. scale — in music
  13. spring — the season
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — a path
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. track — a song
  22. rush — hurry
  23. scale — size or range
  24. leaves — to go away

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