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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — to come from
  7. current — of water
  8. content — happy
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. current — electric
  11. perch — the fish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. current — happening now
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. content — the amount

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