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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. dip — to sink
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. swing — in golf
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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