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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — letters
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spell — magic
  8. object — to protest
  9. spring — the season
  10. object — a thing
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spell — a short time
  14. perch — the fish
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. object — an aim
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — an amount
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stand — to bear
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. degree — from a university

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