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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 · wave · bass · net · tube · last · spring · cap

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. spring — of water
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. net — after costs
  9. cap — a hat
  10. last — final
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — finally
  15. tube — the underground
  16. net — in sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — to go on
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bass — low music
  22. spring — the season
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. tube — a container

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