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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 116 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 · tube · file · stem · scale · pass · sharp · trunk

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. scale — in music
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. file — a tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. scale — size or range
  13. file — a document
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stem — to come from
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. file — a line of people
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pass — to succeed

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