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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. march — the month
  3. court — for sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — certain
  10. court — of law
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ground — a position
  13. bound — tied together
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bound — obliged
  19. march — music
  20. court — of a king
  21. spell — magic
  22. hand — help
  23. ground — the earth
  24. spell — letters

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