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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — a country
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. band — a music group
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stem — to come from
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. land — ground
  16. rest — a break
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. band — a ring
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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