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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stock — goods
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stem — to come from
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bark — to shout
  9. dip — to sink
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. drill — army training
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. scale — in music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stock — shares
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. march — music
  24. bark — of a tree

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