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

Word bank: stem · object · cell · mate · fine · pound

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stem — to come from
  7. object — an aim
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — all right
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mate — a partner
  17. object — to protest
  18. stem — of a plant

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