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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. last — finally
  7. spell — letters
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. band — a ring
  11. pit — in a race
  12. last — final
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. spell — magic
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. band — a music group
  23. last — to go on
  24. pound — to hit hard

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