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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. content — the amount
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rock — music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — government
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rule — a law
  10. bank — for money
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. content — happy
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cold — not warm
  23. row — a line
  24. content — videos and posts

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