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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: snap · bear · dip · can · stem · roll · spring · fan

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — to come from
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. roll — a list
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. can — to be able to
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. snap — to click
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. dip — to sink
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. can — a tin

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