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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rush — hurry
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spring — the season
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — of water
  19. lie — to recline
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mate — a friend
  23. row — a line
  24. mate — to breed

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