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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. bank — of a river
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cue — for pool
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cue — a signal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. shower — rain
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. stem — to come from
  18. present — a gift
  19. bank — for money
  20. wax — to grow
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spring — of water

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