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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. rock — music
  3. snap — to click
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bound — certain
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bound — obliged
  11. capital — a city
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. capital — money
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bound — tied together
  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