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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. present — the time now
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — a gift
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pop — music
  17. present — there
  18. net — after costs
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pop — soda
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. scale — size or range

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