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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chest — of your body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stand — to bear
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. court — of law
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. court — for sport
  20. lean — thin
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. court — of a king
  24. swing — music

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