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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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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: rush · fan · mate · stem · ground · spring · craft · pass

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mate — a partner
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ground — a position
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — the season
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. craft — boats
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mate — to breed

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