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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fall — the season
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. branch — a division
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rash — a series
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — hasty
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fall — to drop

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