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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: stem · pop · nail · march · spring · scale · chip · straw

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pop — to visit
  3. spring — of water
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pop — soda
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — the season
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. pop — music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. scale — size or range

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