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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: mine · date · calf · spring · lie · shower · deal · stem

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mine — for digging
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stem — to come from
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. deal — to handle
  14. shower — rain
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — to wash
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mine — belonging to me

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