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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: spring · branch · key · sharp · pit · stem · bulb · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spring — of water
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. cap — of ice
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. key — the most important part
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. branch — a division
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spring — the season
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bulb — for light

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