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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kick — in football
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bass — the fish
  22. squash — the sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kick — with a leg

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