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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spring — the season
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. hand — help
  7. stem — to come from
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lie — to recline
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spring — a coil
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fine — all right
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cap — a lid
  24. drill — army training

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