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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hand — in cards
  3. club — for dancing
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — help
  7. press — to push
  8. spell — magic
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. firm — decided
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. club — a group
  13. pass — a permit
  14. club — for golf
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. band — a ring
  17. firm — a company
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. firm — steady
  21. stem — to come from
  22. press — newspapers
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spell — letters

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