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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
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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: calf · mug · staff · spring · wind · content · mark · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spring — the season
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. content — happy
  8. staff — employees
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. mark — a grade
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — of water
  22. mug — a face
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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