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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 124 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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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: stem · spring · rest · jam · race · swing · cell · craft

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. rest — a break
  6. spring — a coil
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spring — the season
  9. swing — in golf
  10. craft — boats
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stem — to come from
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spring — of water
  17. race — humankind
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. swing — music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. craft — a skill

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