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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stem — to come from
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. swing — in golf
  12. shower — to wash
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — rain

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