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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bass — low music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pop — music
  16. season — of the year
  17. bat — the animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. cue — a hint
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. clip — to cut
  23. season — in sport
  24. pop — soda

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