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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 · clip · foot · lie · stem · bear · pitcher · mug

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — a video
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. foot — a measure
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spring — the season
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — a cup
  24. foot — part of the body

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