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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. land — ground
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spring — of water
  6. net — in sport
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. net — for catching
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — to come down
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. lean — thin
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. land — a country

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