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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ground — the earth
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stem — to come from
  9. kid — child
  10. mine — for digging
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. ground — a position
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pit — in a race
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ground — crushed
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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