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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. club — a group
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cold — an illness
  11. drill — army training
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. drill — a practice
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. club — for golf
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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