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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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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 · shower · spring · club · prune · calf · bay · snap

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. club — a group
  4. spring — of water
  5. club — for golf
  6. spring — the season
  7. club — for dancing
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. spring — a coil
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. shower — rain
  16. snap — to click
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. shower — to wash
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. prune — to trim

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