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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. charge — a price
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — the season
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. field — for sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stem — to come from
  13. field — farmland
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. field — a subject
  17. charge — in control
  18. fall — to drop
  19. charge — electricity
  20. tear — to rip
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tear — from crying

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