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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rock — music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rash — a series
  7. bore — to drill
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. game — a match
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — a subject
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. spell — letters
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. field — for sport
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. spell — magic
  21. field — farmland
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cell — a phone

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