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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · dip · stem · saw · spring · last · mate · scale

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bound — certain
  6. spring — the season
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — of water
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stem — to come from
  11. scale — in music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. last — to go on
  14. bound — obliged
  15. scale — size or range
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. last — finally
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — final

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