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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: cell · chip · spring · root · mine · present · kick · stem

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kick — in football
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chip — to eat
  10. present — a gift
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chip — for betting
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. spring — the season
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. spring — of water
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stem — to come from
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. root — of a word

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