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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. spring — the season
  8. spell — magic
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — letters
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — to bear
  18. spring — of water
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spell — a short time

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