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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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. race — a contest
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. net — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. race — humankind
  16. net — for catching
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bore — to tire
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. net — after costs

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