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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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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: stem · nail · spring · bowl · board · hand · lie · dip

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hand — in cards
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. spring — the season
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spring — of water
  8. board — a committee
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. board — to get on
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. hand — help
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stem — to come from
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. nail — on a finger

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