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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. current — electric
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — to come from
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. current — of water
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — hasty
  14. current — happening now
  15. rash — a series
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. board — a committee
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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