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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. cell — a phone
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spell — magic
  9. rule — a law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — a group
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rule — government
  15. season — of the year
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. club — for golf
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. season — in sport
  20. cell — in biology
  21. club — for dancing
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cell — in a prison

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