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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. court — of law
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. court — of a king
  10. staff — employees
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. staff — employees
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mate — to breed
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spring — a coil
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. spring — the season
  21. mate — a friend
  22. spring — of water
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — for sport

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