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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kick — in football
  3. current — happening now
  4. shower — rain
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. court — for sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — of law
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stem — to come from
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. court — of a king
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. current — of water
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. current — electric

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