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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spring — the season
  3. fine — all right
  4. spring — a coil
  5. kid — child
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cell — a phone
  11. craft — a skill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. craft — boats
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spring — of water
  21. tube — a container
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stand — on your feet

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