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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tube — the underground
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. tube — a container
  14. spring — of water
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — rain
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stem — a stem cell

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