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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — a series
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mate — a friend
  7. clip — a video
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mate — a partner
  11. clip — to cut
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ground — a position
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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