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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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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: fork · wave · spring · chest · leaves · stem · kick · saw

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — of your body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. kick — in football
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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