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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 116 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: cell · spring · content · snap · mark · stem · ground · bat

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ground — a position
  5. spring — the season
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ground — crushed
  14. snap — to click
  15. content — the amount
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ground — the earth
  20. content — happy
  21. cell — a phone
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bat — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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