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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spring — the season
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ground — a position
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. capital — money
  20. spring — of water
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stem — to come from

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