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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. perch — the fish
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. shower — rain
  10. rule — a law
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. chair — a leader
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — the animal

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