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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. spring — of water
  4. lean — thin
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stock — shares
  7. spring — the season
  8. stem — to come from
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spring — a coil
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rule — government
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rule — a law
  20. field — for sport
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stock — goods
  24. perch — 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