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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.

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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spring — of water
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. kick — in football
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — the season
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fall — the season
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. kick — with a leg

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