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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. row — a line
  3. rock — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — for pool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. club — for golf
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cue — a hint
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — a group
  17. march — the month
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. capital — a city
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — money
  24. march — music

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