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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: stem · game · bore · swing · press · spell · spring · bulb

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. game — wild animals
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bore — to tire
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. bore — to drill
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. swing — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. press — newspapers
  18. game — a match
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. press — to push
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spring — of water

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