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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cell — in biology
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — a phone
  14. staff — employees
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. branch — a division
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. craft — boats
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. staff — employees
  24. stem — to come from

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