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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — to paddle
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. charge — a price
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — to come from
  10. hand — help
  11. can — a tin
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. charge — electricity
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pound — a weight
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. charge — in control

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