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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ball — a great time
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ball — a dance
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. staff — a stick
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cell — in biology
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. staff — employees
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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