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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. land — ground
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. court — of a king
  8. bulb — for light
  9. land — to come down
  10. present — the time now
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — a country
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. court — of law
  22. present — a gift
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — there

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