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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stem — to come from
  7. chest — of your body
  8. roll — a list
  9. land — to come down
  10. roll — a cake
  11. land — ground
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cap — a lid
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bound — certain
  17. chest — a box
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cap — of ice
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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