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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. board — a committee
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. board — to get on
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. march — music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. march — the month
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stand — for spectators
  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