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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · content · nail · stem · lash · ball · spring · racket

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spring — of water
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spring — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. ball — a dance
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — the amount
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. content — happy

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