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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. season — in sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mug — a face
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mug — a cup
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bore — to tire
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spring — the season
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mug — to rob

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