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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: hand · snap · stock · drill · pit · spring · stem · trunk

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stem — to come from
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. hand — help
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. drill — army training
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. spring — of water
  20. snap — to click
  21. spring — a coil
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. drill — a practice

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