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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 116 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: can · lie · firm · cell · clip · stem · perch · mine

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mine — for digging
  3. firm — a company
  4. clip — to cut
  5. can — a tin
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. clip — for paper
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. clip — a video
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stem — to come from
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. perch — the fish

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