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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · hide · chest · spring · stem · leaves · squash · cap

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. squash — to crush
  9. chest — a box
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — a coil
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — the season
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spring — of water
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hide — animal skin

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