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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 · mine · ball · stem · saw · can · spring · lean

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ball — a great time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — thin
  13. can — a tin
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spring — of water
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. spring — the season
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. can — to be able to

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