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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. shower — to wash
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stem — to come from
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — to recline
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bore — to tire
  14. shower — rain
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. deal — a big deal

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