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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. file — a tool
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — an injury
  16. file — a document
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — to come from
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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