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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stock — shares
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pop — to visit
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. band — a ring
  9. spring — the season
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. spring — of water
  13. pop — music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stem — to come from
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pop — soda
  24. stock — goods

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