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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bound — certain
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bound — tied together
  15. row — a line
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. stem — to come from
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bulb — for light

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