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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ground — crushed
  3. club — a group
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a line
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. club — for dancing
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — a position
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bulb — for light
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. club — for golf
  24. row — to paddle

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