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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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Word bank
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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mate — a partner
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mug — a cup
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mate — to breed
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mug — a face
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stem — to come from
  20. press — to push
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mate — a friend

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