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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: spring · stem · deal · cap · stick · branch · straw · racket

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cap — a lid
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stem — to come from
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. spring — the season
  16. branch — a division
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. spring — of water
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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