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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. game — a match
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — a practice
  9. last — final
  10. mug — a face
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mug — a cup
  16. game — wild animals
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mug — to rob
  22. last — finally
  23. mate — a partner
  24. file — a document

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