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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. current — of water
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. current — electric
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chest — a box
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mark — a trace
  19. chest — of your body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. current — happening now
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stock — shares

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