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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. spring — the season
  3. present — a gift
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spring — of water
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stem — to come from
  8. sharp — clever
  9. present — there
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. object — an aim
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. present — the time now
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. object — a thing
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bass — the fish

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