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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — to trim
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mine — for digging
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stem — to come from
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a line of people
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cap — a hat
  22. file — a document
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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