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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: calf · stem · rest · foot · shower · spring · land · nail

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. foot — a measure
  10. land — to come down
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. land — ground
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — rain
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. spring — the season
  19. rest — a break
  20. land — a country
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. shower — to wash
  24. foot — part of the body

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