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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: stem · tube · spring · stick · squash · degree · chest · suit

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. spring — of water
  3. tube — the underground
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chest — a box
  8. squash — the sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chest — of your body
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. suit — to fit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chest — of your body
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spring — the season

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