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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: spring · patient · bay · wax · can · shower · stem · chip

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spring — the season
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wax — to grow
  8. shower — to wash
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — of water
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — rain
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — a coil

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