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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: cue · spring · bear · date · tube · wave · stem · saw

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cue — a hint
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cue — for pool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cue — a signal
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tube — the underground

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