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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. hand — help
  5. saw — the tool
  6. board — to get on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. board — a committee
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chest — a box
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stem — to come from
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stem — of a plant

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