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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: ground · stem · rock · lean · chest · tear · cell · cabinet

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lean — thin
  9. ground — a position
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rock — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. tear — to rip

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