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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — in sport
  5. stem — to come from
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. season — of the year
  16. fork — in a road
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ground — the earth

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