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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · stem · bowl · racket · cell · kid

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rush — hurry
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cell — a phone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stem — to come from
  18. kid — child

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