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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: mine · stem · roll · bear · hand · mate · kick · dip

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — a friend
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. roll — a list
  6. hand — in cards
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. kick — in football
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stem — to come from
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — to breed
  20. roll — a cake
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. roll — on a roll

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