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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: cell · pop · stem · mark · bound · jam · cabinet · bat

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pop — music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stem — to come from
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pop — soda
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bat — in an idiom

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