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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: lean · snap · stem · bark · spring · ball · bore · capital

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spring — the season
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spring — a coil
  14. capital — money
  15. snap — to click
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lean — thin
  18. capital — a city
  19. bore — to tire
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. ball — a dance
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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