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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rash — hasty
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. march — the month
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rash — a series
  24. stem — of a plant

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