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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: spring · last · cell · stem · rest · can · nail · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spring — the season
  8. last — to go on
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — final
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rest — a break
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spring — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. last — finally
  19. can — a tin
  20. cell — in biology
  21. toast — bread
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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