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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 · cabinet · mate · hand · bound · bass · stem · pit

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — low music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spring — the season
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spring — of water
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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