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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: pop · stem · ball · calf · squash · degree · spring · mate

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — of water
  4. stem — to come from
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mate — to breed
  9. degree — temperature
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mate — a partner
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spring — a coil
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. squash — to crush
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pop — to visit
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pop — soda

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