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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 · face · drill · tear · cabinet · spring · bear · chip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spring — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spring — a coil

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