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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 · stick · fall · spring · sharp · fan · file · pitcher

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. file — a document
  3. spring — the season
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — the season
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. file — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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