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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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bat — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cell — in biology
  17. last — to go on
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bank — for money
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. last — final

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