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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: wake · clip · spring · bore · stem · lean · mark · shower

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. clip — a video
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mark — a trace
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bore — to drill
  7. spring — of water
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lean — thin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spring — the season
  13. shower — rain
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bore — gave birth

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