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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stem — to come from
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cell — a phone
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pass — a permit
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. capital — a city
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. capital — money
  16. lean — thin
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. lean — to bend

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