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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — a contest
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chest — a box
  6. pop — to visit
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — music
  9. rest — a break
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pop — soda
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stem — to come from
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

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