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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pound — a weight
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — of water
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. face — to point toward
  10. capital — money
  11. face — to confront
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. capital — a city
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spring — the season

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