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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. swing — music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spring — the season
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stem — to come from
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. present — the time now

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