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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 can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stem — to come from
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ground — crushed

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