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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mate — a partner
  3. row — a line
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mate — to breed
  7. face — to confront
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. race — a contest
  16. face — to point toward
  17. band — a music group
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mate — a friend
  21. tube — a container
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stem — to come from
  24. band — a ring

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