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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: arm · rule · fan · stem · pitcher · rock · last · spring

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rule — a law
  5. spring — of water
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. last — to go on
  9. spring — the season
  10. last — finally
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rock — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rule — government
  23. last — final
  24. spring — a coil

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