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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spring — of water
  3. field — farmland
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lean — thin
  14. stem — to come from
  15. key — for a lock
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — for sport
  20. key — in music
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spell — magic

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