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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — of water
  4. drill — the tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — army training
  10. net — in sport
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. clip — a video
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bore — to tire
  15. current — happening now
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stem — to come from
  18. current — of water
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — the season
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. drill — a practice
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. current — electric

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