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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: wave · stem · drill · fine · face · clip · spring · dip

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stem — to come from
  3. dip — to sink
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. spring — of water
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. face — to point toward
  10. drill — a practice
  11. spring — the season
  12. face — to confront
  13. fine — all right
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — army training
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. clip — for paper
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. drill — the tool

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