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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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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: bear · kid · stem · plane · suit · cell · pound · last

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cell — a phone
  3. last — finally
  4. kid — child
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bear — the animal
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pound — a weight
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cell — in biology
  20. suit — clothes
  21. last — final
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bear — the animal

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