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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: foot · press · date · spring · mark · stem · lash · shower

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stem — to come from
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. press — newspapers
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. foot — a measure
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. shower — rain
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. press — to push
  23. spring — the season
  24. lash — an eyelash

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