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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. can — a tin
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ground — a position
  20. tube — a container
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — the earth
  23. tube — the underground
  24. can — to be able to

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