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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 124 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. court — for sport

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