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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cap — of ice
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — of water
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. current — electric
  11. cap — a hat
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spring — of water
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wound — an injury
  17. current — happening now
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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