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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rash — a series
  4. chest — a box
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. track — a song
  7. rash — hasty
  8. track — a path
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chest — of your body

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