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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cell — a phone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mug — a face
  11. spell — letters
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bank — of a river
  14. spell — magic
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mug — a cup
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stem — a stem cell

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