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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bass — low music
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — a partner
  9. sharp — clever
  10. net — after costs
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bore — to tire
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — to come from
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. net — for catching
  20. saw — the tool
  21. net — in sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bass — the instrument

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