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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · stem · trunk · degree · hand · pitcher · club · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. hand — help
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cell — in biology
  23. degree — from a university
  24. hand — in cards

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