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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: cell · fall · kid · wake · stem · pitch

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — child
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fall — the season
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitch — a sports field

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