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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 116 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: mouse · spring · rush · chair · squash · last · stem · wound

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. last — finally
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. spring — the season
  8. rush — hurry
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — to go on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. squash — to crush
  24. last — final

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