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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — to breed
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. staff — employees
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bass — low music
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mark — a grade

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