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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 120 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: squash · stem · spring · rock · wind · chest · prune · temple

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chest — a box
  8. spring — of water
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rock — music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — the season
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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