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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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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. game — wild animals
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. drill — the tool
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. shower — rain
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. drill — army training
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. drill — a practice
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. sharp — clever
  20. game — a match
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. jam — in traffic

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