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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. content — happy
  3. club — for dancing
  4. branch — a division
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hand — help
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — to come from
  17. hand — in cards
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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