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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hand — help
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. spring — a coil
  8. game — a match
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. hand — in cards
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ball — a great time
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. key — in music
  21. spring — the season
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spring — of water
  24. stem — to come from

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