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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — a container
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spell — magic
  7. stock — goods
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. spell — letters
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. stock — shares
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. ball — a great time
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stock — a soup base

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