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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cell — a phone
  5. snap — to click
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. suit — in cards
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. roll — a list
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cell — in biology
  19. roll — a cake
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. shower — to wash
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. shower — rain

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