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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: lie · stem · bear · spring · hand · board · rest · ground

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stem — to come from
  11. spring — of water
  12. ground — a position
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hand — help
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rest — a break
  24. board — a committee

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