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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cold — not warm
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cell — a phone
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tube — a container
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cold — an illness

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