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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — in golf
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kid — child
  23. bound — tied together
  24. swing — music

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