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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cell — in biology
  13. spring — the season
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. spring — of water
  24. mine — for digging

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