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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. cold — an illness
  3. march — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. current — of water
  16. lean — to bend
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lean — thin
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cold — not warm

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