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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — to come from
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — shares
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kick — in football
  14. bank — for money
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bank — for money
  17. stock — goods
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — of water
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bank — of a river

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