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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — to eat
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — a match
  13. chip — for betting
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — of water
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. fall — 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