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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — the fish
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bass — low music
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. band — a ring
  24. rash — on the skin

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