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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 · cold · rash · ball · spring · wave · stick · wake

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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