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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: stem · last · nail · racket · cap · ground · roll · spring

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spring — a coil
  4. roll — a list
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. last — final
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ground — the earth
  13. last — to go on
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. stem — to come from
  17. last — finally
  18. cap — of ice
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ground — a position
  24. nail — on a finger

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