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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: squash · capital · fan · scale · stem · spring · bank · leaves

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bank — of a river
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — a coil
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. capital — a city
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. scale — in music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spring — the season
  24. squash — to crush

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