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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. charge — electricity
  12. squash — the sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. charge — in control
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. band — a music group
  22. stem — to come from
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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