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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: rock · stem · spell · spring · tube · file · arm · bank

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. spring — the season
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rock — a stone
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spring — of water
  9. file — a document
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tube — the underground
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a tool
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. file — a line of people
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rock — music

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