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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mug — a face
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mug — a cup
  19. scale — in music
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. spring — the season

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