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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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 — a phone
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. press — a publisher
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — newspapers
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. press — to push
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cue — a signal
  16. lie — to recline
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cell — in a prison
  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