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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 124 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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Word bank
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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 · stick · club · squash · cell · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cell — in biology
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. squash — to crush
  6. club — for dancing
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. club — a group
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. club — for golf
  18. cell — a phone

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