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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: mark · cell · cap · tube · mate · stem · squash · spring

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stem — to come from
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mark — a grade
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mate — a friend
  14. spring — of water
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spring — the season
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tube — a container
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mark — a trace

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