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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mark — a trace
  3. net — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — soda
  7. drill — the tool
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. net — after costs
  13. stem — to come from
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pop — music
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chest — a box
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pop — to visit
  23. drill — army training
  24. mark — a grade

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