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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · squash · spring · saw · pit · cap · stem · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — a hole
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pit — in a race
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spring — of water
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stem — to come from
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cap — a lid

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