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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: bore · spring · hand · content · snap · hide · stem · can

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spring — the season
  9. snap — to click
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. content — the amount
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. spring — of water
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — happy

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