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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pit — in a race
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rash — hasty
  8. can — a tin
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. can — to be able to
  12. season — of the year
  13. can — a tin
  14. bark — to shout
  15. net — for catching
  16. rash — a series
  17. pit — a hole
  18. net — after costs
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — in sport
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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