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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. band — a ring
  3. object — a thing
  4. court — for sport
  5. snap — to click
  6. stem — to come from
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. band — a music group
  9. court — of law
  10. object — to protest
  11. court — of a king
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. board — a committee
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — to get on
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. object — an aim
  24. band — a rubber band

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