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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: wound · cell · pop · chest · ruler · stand

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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. cell — a phone
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pop — to visit
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pop — soda
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chest — a box
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — of your body

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