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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. last — to go on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. toast — bread
  14. ground — a position
  15. mine — for digging
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. branch — a division
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. toast — the most admired

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