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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — a coil
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. spring — the season
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. toast — bread
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rash — hasty
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. spring — of water
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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