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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. object — to protest
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. object — a thing
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rash — hasty
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kid — child
  23. object — an aim
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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