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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 120 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: hand · spring · pit · stem · chest · dip · rock · mug

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. hand — help
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rock — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chest — a box
  14. spring — of water
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rock — a stone
  20. spring — the season
  21. mug — a face
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — in cards

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