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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: rest · cap · stem · spring · lash · pitcher · degree · nail

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. spring — the season
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rest — a break
  7. spring — of water
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — an amount
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cap — of ice
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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