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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 116 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. season — of the year
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rock — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — a coil
  14. board — a committee
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. board — to get on
  17. rock — a stone
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. swing — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. spring — the season
  24. stem — to come from

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