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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 124 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — the animal
  5. scale — in music
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rash — hasty
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rash — a series
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. march — music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bat — in an idiom

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