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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mate — to breed
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. season — in sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pop — soda
  18. stem — to come from
  19. row — a line
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pop — to visit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pop — music
  24. season — of the year

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