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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mug — a face
  9. mark — a grade
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mug — a cup
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stem — of a plant

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