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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. last — to go on
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. lean — thin
  8. shower — rain
  9. bear — the animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. charge — in control
  13. stem — to come from
  14. shower — to wash
  15. last — final
  16. charge — electricity
  17. season — of the year
  18. kid — to tease
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kid — child
  21. last — finally
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. charge — a price

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