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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. branch — a division
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. can — to be able to
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. shower — rain
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. deal — to handle
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. shower — to wash
  24. vault — a safe

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