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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: craft · bore · clip · stem · club · spring · coach · dip

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spring — the season
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spring — of water
  8. clip — for paper
  9. club — a group
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. club — for golf
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bore — to tire
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — a video
  20. spring — a coil
  21. clip — to cut
  22. club — for dancing
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stem — to come from

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