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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cap — a hat
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cap — of ice
  9. band — a ring
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pop — soda
  12. cell — in biology
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cap — a lid
  17. band — a music group
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — clever
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. band — a rubber band

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