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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mug — a face
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. game — a match
  8. mug — to rob
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mug — a cup
  12. drill — army training
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fall — to drop

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