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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cell — a phone
  9. clip — a video
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stand — to bear
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bore — to tire
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. mug — a cup
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stem — a stem cell

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