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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stand — to bear
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — a tin
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. spring — the season
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mine — for digging
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spring — a coil

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