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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · pop · straw · mug · land · pit · cell · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cell — in biology
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mug — a cup
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spring — of water
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cell — a phone
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. land — to come down
  24. pop — soda

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