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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. wave — with your hand
  2. cold — not warm
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. current — electric
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. current — happening now
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. current — of water
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  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