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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. can — a tin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spring — a coil
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stem — to come from
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. can — a tin
  20. spring — of water
  21. lie — to recline
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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