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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stem — to come from
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitcher — a jug

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