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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mug — a face
  3. scale — size or range
  4. shower — rain
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. shower — to wash
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. game — a match
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — wild animals
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — in music

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