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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bulb — for light
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. game — a match
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stem — to come from
  11. march — music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. march — the month
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pit — in a race
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bulb — for light

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