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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stem — to come from
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. season — of the year
  9. charge — a price
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pound — a weight
  12. season — in sport
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. suit — in cards

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