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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — of a king
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. date — the fruit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. roll — a cake
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. court — of law
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — for digging
  16. court — for sport
  17. stem — to come from
  18. roll — a list
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. last — final

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