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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chest — a box
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hand — help
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. chest — of your body

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