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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. suit — to fit
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. spring — the season
  6. rest — what's left
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rest — what's left
  12. suit — clothes
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. suit — in cards
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — a break
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spring — of water

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