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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spell — a short time
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pit — a hole
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — in sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. spell — letters
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — the season
  13. season — of the year
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fall — to drop

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