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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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hand — in cards
  10. scale — in music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. staff — employees
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pit — a hole
  21. band — a ring
  22. scale — size or range
  23. band — a music group
  24. bay — a horse colour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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