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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. content — happy
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. content — the amount
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — of a plant

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