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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bore — to drill
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. band — a music group
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rash — a series

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