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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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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 · stand · kick · stem · straw · bound

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. kick — in football
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spring — the season
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bound — certain
  16. stand — to bear
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stand — for spectators

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