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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. hand — help
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. board — to get on
  9. object — a thing
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. board — a committee
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. object — to protest
  16. wound — an injury
  17. object — an aim
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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