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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. suit — clothes
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. deal — to handle

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