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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rule — government
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. perch — the fish
  7. rule — a law
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fall — the season
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. band — a ring
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — in cards

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