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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: toast · cell · stem · bank · roll · cue · ground · cold

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bank — of a river
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bank — for money
  16. cell — in biology
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cold — not warm
  19. roll — a list
  20. bank — for money
  21. ground — a position
  22. toast — bread
  23. cue — a hint
  24. ground — crushed

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