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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. swing — to play on
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — magic
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stock — goods
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — music
  20. stock — shares
  21. spell — letters
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mate — a partner

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