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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rule — government
  5. present — there
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stock — shares
  9. scale — in music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stem — to come from
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a dance
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. tube — a container
  24. rule — a law

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