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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: rush · cell · squash · wound · cap · rule · stem · mug

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mug — a face
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rule — a law
  8. cap — of ice
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rule — government
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cell — a phone
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rule — to rule out

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