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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rash — a series
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — hasty
  6. club — for golf
  7. field — farmland
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — to protest
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — what's left
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rest — a break
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. object — an aim

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