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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 124 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cell — in biology
  6. row — a line
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. row — to paddle
  10. current — electric
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. current — happening now
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. club — for dancing
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. current — of water
  24. stem — of a plant

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