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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: land · ground · spring · march · track · stem · nail · suit

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. spring — the season
  3. suit — to fit
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. track — a path
  10. spring — of water
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. land — a country
  13. ground — a position
  14. track — to keep track
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. march — the month
  19. track — a song
  20. land — to come down
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ground — crushed
  23. march — music
  24. stem — of a plant

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