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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. track — a song
  7. cell — a phone
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mug — a face
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stem — to come from
  13. track — a path
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. tube — a container
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chair — a professorship

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