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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stand — to bear
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. staff — employees
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bat — for baseball

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