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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. date — the fruit
  4. net — after costs
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to click
  9. bass — low music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. net — in sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stem — to come from
  17. tube — a container
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tube — the underground
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. net — for catching
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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