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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. cap — a lid
  3. march — the month
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rash — a series
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. march — the month
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. march — music
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lie — to recline
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rash — hasty
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lie — an untruth
  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