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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — in music
  14. perch — the fish
  15. staff — employees
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — a stick
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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