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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. court — of law
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bore — to drill
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. dip — to sink
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spring — the season
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stem — to come from
  21. shower — rain
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — to tire

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