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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fine — all right
  4. cell — a phone
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. present — a gift
  8. cell — in biology
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fine — high quality
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pit — a hole
  17. present — there
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pit — in a race
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. present — the time now
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. band — a music group

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