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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. spring — of water
  3. craft — boats
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chest — a box
  7. spring — the season
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pop — music
  17. season — of the year
  18. chest — of your body
  19. season — in sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stem — of a plant

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