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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: lean · spell · spring · can · stem · tear · roll · tube

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. tube — the underground
  4. spell — letters
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. tube — a container
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spring — of water
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spell — magic
  15. stem — to come from
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lean — thin
  19. can — a tin
  20. roll — a list
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lean — to bend
  24. tear — from crying

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