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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stock — shares
  4. file — a document
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stem — to come from
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stock — goods
  10. roll — a list
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. drill — army training
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pop — music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. file — a tool
  24. pop — soda

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