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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: mug · row · wave · fine · trunk · cell · stem · field

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. field — a subject
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mug — a face
  6. field — for sport
  7. fine — high quality
  8. field — farmland
  9. row — a line
  10. fine — all right
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mug — a cup
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mug — to rob

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