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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bore — to drill
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. court — of a king
  12. kid — child
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. court — for sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bore — to tire
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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