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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. dip — to sink
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. band — a music group
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — for money
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bank — of a river
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chest — a box
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stem — to come from

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