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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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 — to come from
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. bank — for money
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bound — tied together
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bank — for money
  17. charge — a price
  18. cell — in biology
  19. charge — in control
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stem — of a plant
  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