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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. shower — to wash
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — rain
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. chip — for betting
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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