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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stem — to come from
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. clip — a video
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. clip — for paper
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — to paddle
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. row — a line

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