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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. deal — to handle
  4. scale — in music
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. spring — a coil
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. object — an aim
  19. scale — size or range
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. spring — the season
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. safe — a strongbox

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