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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: saw · spring · mark · pit · drill · wind · stem · mate

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mark — a grade
  3. drill — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spring — the season
  19. pit — in a race
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stem — to come from
  24. drill — army training

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