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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — all right
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chest — a box

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