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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spell — letters
  9. craft — boats
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pop — soda
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pop — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pop — to visit
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — magic
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cell — a phone

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