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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — of water
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — the season
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — ground
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — to come down
  24. pop — soda

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