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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — to cut
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — a video
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bore — to drill
  20. season — of the year
  21. stem — to come from
  22. spell — magic
  23. season — in sport
  24. spell — letters

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