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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. court — for sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. court — of law
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — to come from
  10. land — to come down
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. court — of a king
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. club — for dancing
  16. land — a country
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. fork — in a road
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wake — a trail

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