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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: stem · land · spring · last · mug · pop · stick · pit

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pop — soda
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pop — music
  11. land — a country
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. last — finally
  16. pop — to visit
  17. land — ground
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — to come down
  20. last — final
  21. spring — of water
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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