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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bank — for money
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bank — of a river
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. spring — the season
  15. mate — to breed
  16. roll — a list
  17. spring — a coil
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bank — for money
  20. toast — bread
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mate — a friend
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. squash — the vegetable

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