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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cap — a lid
  5. spring — the season
  6. stem — to come from
  7. spring — a coil
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bank — for money
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lie — to recline
  19. spring — of water
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fan — a supporter

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