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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: rock · clip · stem · rush · wound · spring · can · net

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rock — a stone
  5. spring — a coil
  6. clip — a video
  7. net — after costs
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — for catching
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rock — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — to be able to
  18. net — in sport
  19. spring — the season
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. spring — of water
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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