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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. firm — a company
  7. bound — tied together
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bound — obliged
  12. firm — steady
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spring — a coil
  20. firm — decided
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. clip — to cut
  23. spring — the season
  24. bound — certain

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