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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 · clip · foot · file · spring · pitcher · mouse · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — for paper
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — the season
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. file — a document
  15. clip — to cut
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. can — to be able to
  19. file — a tool
  20. foot — a measure
  21. can — a tin
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stem — of a plant

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