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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. court — of a king
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. court — of law
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mine — for digging
  12. court — for sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bound — obliged
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bound — certain
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. saw — the tool
  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