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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cell — in biology
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pass — a permit
  17. shower — rain
  18. wind — moving air
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. shower — to wash
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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