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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — to wash
  4. net — in sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fine — high quality
  7. scale — size or range
  8. net — after costs
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. race — a contest
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — rain
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. prune — to trim
  24. scale — in 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