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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: mate · spring · wave · net · rule · bore · stem · roll

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — in sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rule — government
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. net — after costs
  10. mate — to breed
  11. spring — of water
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — for catching
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stem — to come from

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