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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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468
Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cold — an illness
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — to come from
  15. swing — music
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. swing — in golf
  24. racket — for tennis

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