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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 116 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — electric
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stem — to come from
  8. current — happening now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. dip — to sink
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bass — low music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. dip — to dunk

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