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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — of water
  9. toast — bread
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. field — farmland
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stem — to come from
  18. field — a subject
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. field — for sport

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