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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bound — certain
  7. toast — bread
  8. season — of the year
  9. mark — a grade
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bound — tied together

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