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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. shower — rain
  7. season — of the year
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lie — to recline
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bound — obliged
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. nail — for a hammer

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