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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mate — a friend
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mate — a partner
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. season — in sport
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lean — thin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stand — to bear
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spell — letters
  19. band — a ring
  20. spell — magic
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spell — a short time
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — of a plant

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