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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. scale — in music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tear — to rip
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. tear — from crying
  11. current — happening now
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. current — of water
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cue — a signal
  17. current — electric
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rest — a break
  20. cue — for pool
  21. row — a line
  22. cue — a hint
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mate — to breed

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