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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: key · jam · pop · spring · cue · stem · wake · calf

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spring — of water
  3. pop — soda
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spring — a coil
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. key — in music
  8. spring — the season
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pop — music
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cue — a hint
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cue — for pool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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