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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spring — a coil
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spring — the season
  14. firm — decided
  15. deal — to handle
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spring — of water
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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