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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cap — a hat
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rest — a break
  14. wake — a trail
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stem — a stem cell

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