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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spring — the season
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spring — a coil
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. net — in sport
  7. spring — of water
  8. net — for catching
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. game — a match
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. net — after costs
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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