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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rash — hasty
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rash — a series
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. present — there
  12. cap — of ice
  13. snap — to click
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kick — in football
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. row — a line
  18. present — the time now
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stem — to come from
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cap — a hat
  23. present — a gift
  24. kick — a thrill

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