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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: track · lean · stem · clip · rest · cell · net · safe

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lean — thin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. net — in sport
  7. cell — in biology
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. lean — to bend
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — after costs
  16. clip — to cut
  17. track — a path
  18. rest — what's left
  19. net — for catching
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. clip — a video

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