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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · arm · pass · tear · spring · content · scale · stem

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. content — happy
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spring — the season
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pass — a permit
  11. spring — of water
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. tear — from crying
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bulb — for light
  19. content — the amount
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. tear — to rip
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pass — to spend time
  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