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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · stem · spring · chip · snap · mouse · wax · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. spring — of water
  3. snap — to click
  4. spring — the season
  5. field — for sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. field — farmland
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stem — to come from
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chip — for betting
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spring — a coil

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