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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stand — to bear
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. game — wild animals
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. branch — a division
  9. kid — child
  10. cue — a hint
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. game — a match
  14. charge — in control
  15. cue — for pool
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cue — a signal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stem — to come from

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