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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wind — moving air
  5. court — of a king
  6. wind — moving air
  7. court — of law
  8. pit — in a race
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pit — a hole
  11. court — for sport
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitch — completely
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. drill — army training

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