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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
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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 · stand · stick · current · tear · spring · game · mine

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mine — for digging
  10. current — electric
  11. tear — to rip
  12. current — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — the season
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. current — happening now
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — a match
  24. spring — a coil

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