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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 · wave · fall · swing · ruler · date · stem · lie

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. swing — music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. swing — to play on
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lie — to recline
  22. date — the fruit
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. date — on the calendar

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