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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — help
  7. rock — music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — in cards
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spring — the season
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rock — a stone

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