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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stem — to come from
  5. snap — to click
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cell — a phone
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wound — an injury

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