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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. track — a path
  6. stock — shares
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stock — goods
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bat — the animal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. band — a music group
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stem — to come from
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. band — a ring

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