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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: pound · stem · rock · spring · wind · sharp · dip · wound

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stem — to come from
  9. spring — the season
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spring — a coil
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rock — music
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — of water
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — for dogs

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