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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: cell · stem · wake · mouse · saw · face · calf · lie

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cell — a phone
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lie — to recline
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — a trail
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. saw — the tool

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