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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stock — shares
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stock — goods
  11. field — a subject
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. field — for sport
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — farmland
  19. band — a ring
  20. mine — for digging
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. band — a music group

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