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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. track — a path
  9. fall — to drop
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bat — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fall — to drop
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — a song
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fall — the season
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stem — to come from
  24. dip — to sink

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