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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: row · lean · stem · net · fine · squash · mouse · spring

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spring — of water
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — after costs
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. row — a line
  19. spring — the season
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fine — all right
  22. lean — thin
  23. row — a quarrel
  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