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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spring — of water
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wake — a trail
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. current — of water
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bat — the animal
  14. current — electric
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. current — happening 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