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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rash — a series
  3. spring — of water
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rash — hasty
  14. net — for catching
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chair — a leader
  20. net — after costs
  21. craft — boats
  22. cell — in biology
  23. net — in sport
  24. rash — on the skin

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