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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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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: wound · stem · cabinet · kid · tube · saw · suit · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kid — child
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. suit — in cards
  12. saw — the tool
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. kid — to tease
  16. suit — clothes
  17. spring — the season
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — a container

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